7) Hyper Light Drifter
Imagine a cross between Zelda: A Link To The Past, Dark Souls and Diablo, and you’ve got Hyper Light Drifter. A masterfully executed package, Hyper Light Drifter is a truly brilliant samurai action adventure title that’s certainly one of the year’s standout indie games.
As challenging as the retro classics that it takes its inspiration from, Hyper Light Drifter is no walk in the park. Yet, thanks to its frantic but fluid combat system, gameplay always feels rewarding, rather than frustrating. Much of Hyper Light Drifter is about exploration though, and given that there’s no literal storytelling, the environment plays a crucial role in piecing together its cryptic plot.
Hyper Light Drifter’s aesthetic is a gorgeous nod of that hat to iconic retro classics married to a quintessential indie charm. And the game does a superb job of creating a palpable atmosphere and tension, conveying an enchanting and haunting tale.
Retro-inspired indie games are hardly few and far between these days, but Hyper Light Drifter pays homage to iconic classics via superb gameplay as well as its pixelated graphical charm.